Active clinical trials for "Multiple Myeloma"

RATIONALE: Biological therapies use different ways to stimulate the immune system and stop cancer cells from growing. Combining chemotherapy and peripheral stem cell transplantation with biological therapy may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of biological therapy with sargramostim, interleukin-2, and interferon alfa following chemotherapy and peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating patients who have cancer.

This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of bryostatin-1 when given together with vincristine in treating patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, or multiple myeloma. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Combining more than one drug may kill more cancer cells

This pilot clinical trial studies low-dose total body irradiation and donor peripheral blood stem cell transplant followed by donor lymphocyte infusion in treatment patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, or multiple myeloma. Giving total-body irradiation before a donor peripheral blood stem cell transplant helps stop the growth of cells in the bone marrow, including normal blood-forming cells (stem cells) and cancer cells. When healthy stem cells from a donor are infused into the patient they may help the patient's bone marrow make stem cells, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Once the donated stem cells begin working, the patient's immune system may see the remaining cancer cells as not belonging in the patient's body and destroy them. Giving an infusion of the donor's white blood cells (donor lymphocyte infusion) may boost this effect.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to damage tumor cells. Bone marrow transplantation may be able to replace immune cells that have been destroyed by radiation therapy used to kill tumor cells. Sometimes the transplanted cells can make an immune response against the body's normal tissues. Mycophenolate mofetil and tacrolimus may be an effective treatment for graft-versus-host disease caused by bone marrow transplantation. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of total-body irradiation, tacrolimus, and mycophenolate mofetil plus bone marrow transplantation in treating patients with hematologic cancers.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as fenretinide, work in different ways to stop the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from dividing. Giving fenretinide in a different way may kill more cancer cells. PURPOSE: This phase I trial is studying the side effects and best dose of intravenous fenretinide in treating patients with refractory or relapsed hematologic cancer.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy work in different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Peripheral stem cell transplantation may allow doctors to give higher doses of chemotherapy drugs and kill more cancer cells. Biological therapies, such as interferon alfa, use different ways to stimulate the immune system and stop cancer cells from growing. Thalidomide may stop the growth of cancer cells by stopping blood flow to the tumor. Pamidronate may help to reduce the side effects of treatment for multiple myeloma. PURPOSE: This phase II trial is studying combination chemotherapy, peripheral stem cell transplantation, biological therapy, pamidronate, and thalidomide to see how well they work in treating patients with stage I, stage II, or stage III multiple myeloma.

RATIONALE: Radiation therapy using holmium Ho 166 DOTMP may damage cancer cells. Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Peripheral stem cell transplantation may be able to replace immune cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy or radiation therapy used to kill cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase I/II trial to study the effectiveness of radiation therapy using holmium Ho 166 DOTMP plus melphalan and peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating patients who have multiple myeloma.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. Peripheral stem cell transplantation may be able to replace immune cells that were destroyed by chemotherapy used to kill cancer cells. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of combination chemotherapy followed by peripheral stem cell transplantation in treating patients who have hematologic cancer or aplastic anemia.

RATIONALE: Drugs used in chemotherapy use different ways to stop cancer cells from dividing so they stop growing or die. PURPOSE: Phase II trial to study the effectiveness of R115777 in treating patients who have relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma.

This is a research study for patients with newly diagnosed multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma remains a non-curable disease however, newer medications and their combinations appear to provide higher response rates and higher complete response rates than current treatment options. One of the new medications in multiple myeloma is Velcade. Preliminary results from a study using a combination of Velcade with Doxil have shown high response rates (disease reduction). Preliminary results also show that an addition of dexamethasone to Velcade in patients not responding to Velcade alone showed improved response rates. This study involves treatment with a new combination of three standard medications: Velcade, Doxil, and dexamethasone (VDd combination). The proposed combination of all three drugs may improve efficacy and response. Velcade is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment in multiple myeloma patients who have received at least two prior therapies and have demonstrated disease progression on the last therapy. Velcade is still currently under investigation for other indications. Doxil is not approved for use in multiple myeloma but is an approved drug for use in patients with some other cancers. Several published clinical trials provide evidence that Doxil is an active agent in multiple myeloma and it is used in treatment combinations for multiple myeloma in general practice. Dexamethasone is a standard therapy for multiple myeloma, but is not approved by the FDA for that use. The combination of all three drugs is experimental (not FDA approved). The goals of this study are to determine if this new combination therapy with Velcade, Doxil and dexamethasone is an effective treatment and also to determine the side effects that occur when this combination treatment is given.